After overcoming the rigorous selection process, Kiyoyo and his team will next face off in the biggest match in history against the U-20 Japan National Team! The hottest battle in history will begin as they try to imprint their ego on the world and change their fate with their own hands.
Animate Times delivers email interviews with the cast after each episode has aired! In the first installment, we asked Nozomi Urawa, who plays Kiyoyoichi, about his character’s growth and his thoughts on the first episode.
–The second season of “Blue Lock” has finally started. Please tell us your honest feelings about it now.
Nozomi Urawa, who plays Kiyoyoichi (hereinafter referred to as Ura): I feel happy that it’s finally airing, but I also feel nervous that it’s finally started.
Since the first season ended, I’ve received feedback from many people saying they wanted to see the next episode as soon as possible, and I myself also had a strong desire to deliver the next episode to everyone as soon as possible, so I’m very happy that the first episode was able to be aired without any problems.
At the same time, because the first season received such a positive response, the pressure on the next series is growing and I’m honestly nervous. Of course, I’m not the only one making the anime, and I’m just an actor, but I still have the responsibility of carrying the show on my shoulders as the leader of the troupe.
By the time this article is published, I will probably be anxiously checking everyone’s reactions (laughs).
–In the first episode, the start of the tryouts for the regular spot in the “U-20 Japan National Team” was depicted. Looking back on the first episode, please tell us your thoughts and any scenes that were memorable to you.
Ura: It was exactly like the first episode of the second season!
I remember that while I was doing the voice recording, the excitement of the first season was brought back to me and my heart started beating faster just watching it.
In particular, when I saw the members of Team Z eating together, I felt relieved and like I was returning home.
However, it is true that some people, including Kunigami, dropped out. I was reminded of the harshness of “Blue Lock” and the incredible accomplishments of Kiyoshi and his group.
Personally, the scene where Reo rarely complains to Kiyo is very memorable. Until now, Reo has had feelings close to hatred for Kiyo, as he was the one who stole Nagi, but the fact that he is finally able to speak his true feelings to him makes us feel that Reo has grown, and I thought it was very Kiyo, who is influenced and has an impact on those around him, that Reo’s words solidify Kiyo’s resolve.
–The monologue at the end of the first episode, “I’m going to win and prove it. I’m going to be the best striker in the world!”, left a strong impression on me. What kind of acting approach did you take for the character Kiyoyoichi in the second season?
Ura: In the first season, he was always in the position of the weak and the challenger, and he didn’t have much room to spare. However, in the second season, after the tremendous growth he experienced in the first season, he has become one of the stronger players in “Blue Lock,” and he now has the capacity to look at things objectively. That’s why his breathing has also changed. Up until now, his breathing was a little shallow, or rather, he was always breathing desperately, but from the second season, he takes a slow, deep breath, and his breathing becomes deeper along with his thoughts.
“Becoming the world’s best striker” was an unseen goal and aspiration for him until now, but for him it is now becoming a definite goal to reach, and I was able to act with that strength of feeling in mind.
–Please tell us about the changes and growth of the character you are playing. If there are any changes or changes that have remained the same since the first season as you have faced the role, please let me know as well.
浦：サッカー選手としてはとても変わりました。ストライカーとしてどうやったら点が取れるかをひたすらに考え続けているので、テクニック、体力、インテリジェンス、その全てがパワーアップしています。その反面、人としてはあまり変わっていないと思います。まだまだ優しいところもあれば男子高校生らしい遊びはしゃいでいるところもあります。それが他の選手と話す瞬間にも出ているなと。そういったオンオフでの切り替えもお芝居する上での重要視しているポイントになります。彼の口が強くなるのは真剣にサッカーに挑戦しているからこそなので、日常的にそうなってしまってはよくないので（笑）。
だから彼がどれだけ成長しても、根っこの部分は変わっていないと思っています。
ーー最後に、今後の見どころや楽しみにしてほしいポイントを教えてください。
浦：第2期は見どころがあると思っていまして、１つは「壮大な兄弟喧嘩」。糸師兄弟のぶつかり合いが物語の方向性を大きく動かしているなと原作を読みながら感じました。その上で彼らのその思いが個人的には見逃せないなと思っています。
もう１つは「個性のぶつかり合い」トライアウトでも新しいキャラクター達がたくさん登場し、その上で出場メンバーが決められます。そしてU-20日本代表選手達も個性豊か、且つ各々が色んな気持ちを抱えて試合に挑みます。その個性のぶつかり合いを、ぜひ見届けてください。
[インタビュー／笹本千尋 編集／小川いなり]
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